Complain about a product or service

Snapper

James of Jonesboro, LA September 23, 2009

Purchased zero turn Snapper 450Z in 2006.Nothing but problems with the mower since I purchased it.Motor blew up-dealer repaired it.Blew up again-I had to pay for a complete new mtr.BRIGGS STRATTON declined warranty!Dealer that sold me the mower said there was no negligence on their part or mine where the motors should have blown up.Have been constant other problems besides the engine.Have probably spent as much on repairs as the cost of the mower.Service technician where mower was purchased said mower never sounded exactly right to him from the start.

Other things:alternator has had to be replaced 3 or 4 times,starter switch has had to be replaced 3 times,one of vacuum pumps that controls one of steering arms on the mower had to be replaced, recently the mower is not charging the battery & have replaced wiring harnace,starter switch & put a new battery.Test showed that alternator is still good but the mower constantly runs down the battery and it has to be jumped off.Shop determined regulator not good (after talking to Snapper).

Put new regulator on the mower,motor immediately blew up the new regulator.Still trying to determine what is causing it to do this.This has cost me a lot time lost in lawn mowing jobs (by the way this is a commercial grade mower and I only mow as a part-time job as I have another full time job).This mower is not used nearly as much as many commercial grade mowers that stay together!I have no problem with my dealer...has been helpful in every instance and done everything in his power to get me up & running as quick as possible every time I have a problem.My opinion & dealer's opinion, this mower was a lemon from the start & he and his service technician told me this morning that they feel I've been very patient & they would not have put up with it as long as I have.

They have indicated they would be happy to take the stand to testify in my defense.I feel Snapper owes me full restitution of these expenses or a new mower.Preferably, full restitution of all of my expenses and time lost. I have paid thousands of dollars in repairs...probably as much as I paid for the mower plus miles put on my truck hauling mower to and from job sites...plus down time lost for mowing jobs

Jay of Eagle Mountain, UT August 13, 2009

I purchased a Snapper Z-Rider Mower from Carpenter Seed Company. Cost 3,000.00. They are one of the largest dealers of Snapper around here. The mower was poorly engineered from the conception. The Briggs and Stratton Engine piston value-lash caused the motor to seize up after 5 hours of operation. The engine was repaired with a new cam shaft and now the motor does not generate enough power to cut the grass without powering out or disengaging the drive to the 33 inch blade. This mower sucks!!! My advice to you is BUYER BEWARE.

Jeff of Haleyville, AL July 21, 2009

I bought a Snapper 150z 21hp mower new a few months ago. Had to return to the shop the first time I tried to use it because the safety switch on the brake was bad. In the first 50 hours I am very disappointed with this mower, it is certainly not the quality product that I was lead to believe that it was.

Jeff of Waverly, AL June 14, 2009

I have a Snapper, 30" cut, "butterfly" steering wheel type mower that I bought exactly three years ago for just over 1,000, and have had it in the shop seven times, all in the first year. It was hardly used the second year since I was in a rental house and now I am having to take it in again an eighth time as I start mowing my newly established yard. The first year's problems had everything to do with a pull starter that would nearly jerk your arm off if you didn't pull it just the right way. I actually have a scar on my chest where the cord was ripped out of my hand, back into the mower, the handle cutting my chest through my shirt.

The dealer actually thought I was lying to him when I told him of the situation, saying that he had never heard of a cord doing such a thing! A new guy actually fixed the problem in about five minutes that seventh time in when he tried to load it, and nearly had his arm pulled off. The latest problem I have is a severe engine vibration that causes me to feel it in my body well into the next day after mowing. I have fixed vibration problems in the past by replacing unbalanced blades and have just completed replacing the blade, figuring it was the problem. I can keep the blade unengaged and have a deep vibration from the engine area through the seat and steering wheel. The dealer said, "Well... these engines are pretty violent, but bring it on in."

I guess I will again, and sell it if I can. The Snapper dealer's name is THE RENTAL CENTER in Auburn, Alabama. I will never buy another Snapper mower! Just for the record, I had an old 28" Snapper mower that was absolutely ancient, before I bought this new one. Snapper used to make a good product. They need to take care of folks. Until they do, I am telling everyone I know how they have fallen in their quality. Buy something else!!!

Teresa of Savannah, MO April 24, 2009

My husband and I purchased a Snapper riding lawn mower October 18, 2008 and barely used it. This spring on April 22, 2009, my son was mowing and smoke started coming out of the mower and then flames. My son jumped off, but the hair on his head was badly singed. Luckily, there was a fire extinguisher near by which put the fire out. There was a gasoline smell that went away. The fire melted some wires inside the hood. I called Sears and was given an 800 number to call for parts and service. No one can come out until Thursday the 30th of April.

Meanwhile, we have no mower and the grass will continue to grow. We were not offered a replacement when I called the manager of Sears. He wasn't even concerned about my son's singed hair. It wasn't bad, but could have been so much worse. The bottom line is, we don't want this mower anymore. We want to drop it off at our local Sears store and head to John Deere or somewhere that fixes mowers that they sell. We do have a 2 year warranty on the Snapper, but what we want is quality and safety, not junk. After reading other reviews, I think we might have just wasted our money. Sears and Snapper...get with it! When we spend quality money, we want a quality product with no inconveniences.

Jackie of Enterprise, AL September 12, 2008

Jackie of Enterprise AL (09/12/08)
In May of 2007, I purchased a Snapper rear engine rider from Turf and Timber, the local Snapper dealer. I wish to warn everone not to deal with this business. Apparantly they deal with lawn care companies and do not care for home use people. The first problem was getting the first replacement blade after the purchase. My wife went in to get a blade, and they wanted to know the model number, why could they have not looked in their computer and found everything about their sale to me. In this day, they should have the model and serial number on record for a 2000.00 mower. My wife explained to them that she needed a blade for a mower just like the 2 in the showroom.

After much looking in books, the part number was found, and they did not have one in stock, but there were blades in their store in Dothan, AL. My wife then drives 60 miles round trip to get a blade. The problem now is that the clutch safety switch is bad and the mower will not run without this part. I went to the dealer, and they do not have one. They said they could order one, I needed the mower to run that day. I told them that I would wire the mower where it would run without the safety switch.

This mower is under warranty, and is now being operated in an unsafe manner. This dealer does not care, because they could have removed a switch from the mowers on the sales floor and went to my home and replaced the switch. I owned a Snapper mower in the early 80's, back when Snapper was not part of the Briggs and Stratton Group, the dealer was great and the mower was excellent.

Joann of Waterloo, IL August 6, 2008

A 250 Z zero-turn Snapper mower purchased 5/29/08 to replace a 10 year old Snapper riding mower. Within approximately 20 hours of use we have experienced various problems -- a melted fender, loose muffler and clap, nuts & bolts falling off and replaced, a seperation of muffler and tail pipe, a muffler metal cage strip melted to the muffler, and a spacer missing from the cage frame around the muffler. The driver of the mower is a mature adult (50-60yr) we mow approximately 2 acres of residential/farm ground. The Snapper company 1-800-935-2967 does not back their product -- it does not have a return policy and the dealer isn't willing or in a position to buy it back (as he says).

Mary of Bloomdale, OH May 20, 2008

Bought a snapper weed wacker /roto tiller and the gas lines rottesd off and they won't replace them and no one around here works on them or sells them but Wal-Mart. I have writting them but they will not do anything about it. I don't have money to throw away like that. If they are going to make a product then they should stand behind it.

Phil of Port Neches, TX September 22, 2007

I have a riding Snapper mower with a rear engine 12.5hp.  When I was cleaning the under deck, the oil dip-stick was not on properly and all the oil drained out with out noticing due to the water and grass clippings, The problem is when the mower is standing up-right the lube oil dip-stick becomes the LOW POINT and will empty your oil reservoir. If the engine was rotated 160 degrees then lube oil spout would become the high point when the mower is in the up-right position not allowing engine oil to run out and costing mega to replace. The engine seized up and had to be replaced.

Darryl of Corpus Christi, TX July 11, 2007

Darryl of Corpus Christi TX (07/11/07)
I have an 18 48 Zero Turn Snapper Mower, and as others have stated - the cost of the machine verses the cost of the continuous repairs is unacceptable. I have had to replace the belts twice a season and the mower deck pulleys once a season. I use my mower to mow my yard and put about 40 hours of use on it per season. Now one of the pulley brackets broke causing damage to the belt and pulleys. What is happening with Snapper products? My mechanic is almost as frustrated as I am and has become so disappointed in Snapper products that he is no longer recommending the purchase of Snappers - even though he once was the leading seller of Snapper products in our area.

Report Your Experience
If you've had a bad experience -- or a good one -- with a consumer product or service, we'd like to hear about it. All complaints are reviewed by class action attorneys and are considered for publication on our site. Knowledge is power! Help spread the word. File your consumer report now.

Share		Follow us on Twitter.

Terms of Use Your use of this site constitutes acceptance of the Terms of Use

Advertisements on this site are placed and controlled by outside advertising networks. ConsumerAffairs.com does not evaluate or endorse the products and services advertised. See the FAQ for more information.

Company Response Welcome If complaints about your company appear on our site, we welcome your response. Please see the Response Form for more information.

For more information, see the FAQ and privacy policy. The information on this Web site is general in nature and is not intended as a substitute for competent legal advice.  ConsumerAffairs.com Inc. makes no representation as to the accuracy of the information herein provided and assumes no liability for any damages or loss arising from the use thereof. 

Copyright © 2003-2009 ConsumerAffairs.com Inc.  All Rights Reserved.    The contents of this site may not be republished, reprinted, rewritten or recirculated without written permission.